So This is What I Have to Look Forward To?
by dolphingirl375
Summary: ONESHOT. Just a little 'slice of life' set after the survivors are home. Slight fluffiness for some, serious angst for one.


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**So This is What I Have to Look Forward To?**

**Disclaimer****: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Only the plot is mine.**

**Author's Note****: When this idea popped into my head, it made me chuckle.**

**Poetic license…suspend disbelief…it's _fiction_. **

**Just go with it.**

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Taylor had thrown a pool party for the survivors, it was their last big hurrah before school started. Junior year for the teens, middle school for Lex. Everyone was talking and laughing, having a good time. It was a perfectly normal party.

Then _she_ stripped down to her bathing suit and the world turned upside down.

At least, it did for him.

He felt his face grow warm. He'd never seen her like this. She had always been so covered up on the island. Now, here she was, looking really..._hot_...in a turquoise bikini, and he was having thoughts he didn't think himself capable of.

He became aware of the sudden silence and looked toward the others. From all the wide eyes and open mouths he surmised _everyone_ was surprised**. **All the boys couldn't take their eyes off her either, and he was sure he saw a look of envy cross more than one girl's face.

"Come on, guys, let's get wet!" she called as she jumped into the deep end. She surfaced, wiped her eyes and smiled. There was a sudden scraping of chairs and some pushing and yelling as the other boys raced each other to get to the pool first. Ian and the girls were a little slower; he was still limping, they had cover-ups and hair to deal with.

He sat back in his lounge chair and smiled as they all splashed and screamed and dunked and wrestled with each other.

He felt something unpleasant stir in his midsection when he saw _him_ pick her up and carry her to the shallow end. She laughed and pretended to protest until _he _set her down. They stood there with their arms around each other, talking quietly, slowly swaying to the music in the background. Then _he_ kissed her.

The feeling in his belly spread to his chest. _Why am I feeling…upset? _It slowly dawned on him. _Because…he's_..._touching_..._and…kissing…her._ _So, I'm…jealous?! But_..._I can't be. He's my friend. She's my friend. Not possible. No way! _It was a totally foreign concept to him.

He focused on one of the other girls for a minute. She looked gorgeous in a red bikini. She was sitting on one of the boy's shoulders, his hands on her thighs. He didn't feel a thing. He found himself thinking, _she complained a lot on the island. She was mean…sometimes. And lazy. Not the brightest bulb._

He looked at the brunette in her tiny green two piece, being picked up and thrown into the water. _Nothing_. _She got too…weird…toward the end. Scary, even._

His eyes moved to the next girl; Ian was trying to dunk her. She seemed really nice but he didn't know her very well. Then he saw the last girl. _Eww! as Taylor would say. Gross! So wrong! Non-issue. _He winced and shuddered at the thought. _Too bossy, anyway. _

His gaze returned in time to see _her_ break from the kiss then push the boy under the water and swim away, laughing. That made him smile.

One by one, everyone else exited the pool and congregated around the food table. _She_ stayed in the water, floating around on her back, watching the sky change colors. She was completely unaware that her every move was being scrutinized by a rapt audience of one.

He tried to figure out his sudden fascination. _Just because I saw her in a bikini? But…I've seen plenty of girls in bikinis, this _is_ Los Angeles. We were together for a month on the island, and I didn't feel like this. It doesn't make sense. _He tried to distract himself by paying attention to the various conversations going on around him but his thoughts and his eyes always strayed back to _her_.

A little later she finally emerged, beads of water dripping from her body. She was silhouetted against the setting sun and he felt as if all the air had been sucked from the atmosphere, like he was trying to breathe in a vacuum. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she squeezed the water out of her braids then toweled herself dry. She wrapped the towel around her waist just as Jackson walked up and wrapped himself around her. He then grabbed her hand and they headed toward the outdoor fireplace. They stopped as they reached him and she smiled and asked, "Hey, are you okay? Why didn't you come in?"

"Huh? Uh…oh, um…I will, later."

"You _have _to. The water's so awesome!" she said enthusiastically. Jackson flashed him a quick smile and led her away.

"Um…yeah…I…" was all he could get out. She was already gone, giggling as Jackson whispered in her ear.

He dropped his head into his hands and his face abruptly contorted into a look of horror. _What the? Oh_..._NO! _He ran his hands through his hair, frantically trying to figure out what to do.

He quickly pulled off his shirt, stood up, ran for the pool and jumped in, making a huge splash. The cool water made him feel better and took care of his little 'predicament'.

He heard a loud round of cheering and applause. "Dude! _Nice_ cannon ball!" Eric yelled.

He waved an acknowledgment then grabbed a stray pool noodle and draped himself over it so he could just float and think.

A short time later everything suddenly became clear as he realized what all this meant. He'd read the books. He'd seen a special about it on some health channel. He understood the biology behind it. But to actually _experience _it was something else altogether.

_This is just the beginning, _he thought. He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head in misery. _I'm too young! I'm not prepared for this! _His eyes opened wide with a new realization. _Oh, man! It starts with spontaneous erections...that means_..._wet dreams and acne are next. Then dating...NO! I'm not ready for adolescent angst!_

He pushed the noodle away and dove to the bottom of the pool. He let himself slowly drift to the surface where he floated like a dead man as long as he could before he had to lift his head, gasping for air. When his breathing had returned to normal, he headed for the ladder.

With a groan, he pulled himself out of the water and grabbed a towel. He wiped his face then draped it over his shoulders so it casually covered a certain area. _For once, I'm glad I'm short, _he thought.

He decided to join the others and get some food. Hopefully, it'd keep his mind off of _her_. _A friend,_ _that's all she is, _he told himself. _That's all she can ever be._

_My friend._

_Sweet, hard-working Melissa._

_In a bikini…_

_Water glistening on her skin..._

_STOP!_

_Damned hormones! _he thought grumpily.

_Welcome to puberty._

_Crap!_

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**Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think.**


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